The recent cholera deaths in Hammanskraal are a harsh reminder of the continued neglect of infrastructure by the government, according to auditor-general Tsakani Maluleke.
“What we witnessed and experienced as South Africans happening in Tshwane and Hammanskraal over the past week and a bit, as tragic as that is, and it should never have happened that people lost their lives, we believe is a reminder of the urgency of us acting on these things.
“It is a harsh reminder of the impact of continued neglect of these things, at local government, but also in the other spheres of government,” she said.
Maluleke was presenting municipal audit outcomes to the standing committee on the auditor-general on Wednesday. Only 38 of the country’s 257 municipalities received clean audits, down from 41 in the last financial year.
She said her office visited 249 local government projects across the country and found that the repercussions of the lack of attention to service delivery was being felt on the ground.
The AG teams visited wastewater treatment plants, water resources, communities around the country and saw the effect of water supply issues on different communities, the brunt of untreated wastewater being discharged into water sources and far too many areas with inadequate sanitation services.
“They have also experienced first-hand the impact on the health of those communities.”
“We are able to link our key messages to reality on the ground and we are hoping this insight helps to inspire a different posture across all spheres of government in terms of dealing with the state of local government,” Maluleke said.
Her office had previously raised concerns about lack of expenditure on maintenance, including the lack of maintenance plans that are credible, problems around the lack of preventive maintenance and highlighted that infrastructure assets were deteriorating.
The AG said the qualification on audit often was in the area of asset management where wastewater treatment plants that were not being maintained, new wastewater treatment plants that should be on the ground but were not and yet money was going through the system.
“The impact of all this is the lived reality of citizens being compromised. You’ve got the environment being compromised severely.”
Maluleke said her office has offered insight to the relevant authorities and has driven a conversation she believes will influence different choices by local, provincial and national governments. But in the meantime, it has also issued material irregularities to those who deal with why assets are not being protected, as this leads to financial loss, and also about water pollution which harms the public and the environment.
Hammanskraal has been in the spotlight after an outbreak of cholera in recent weeks.
The bacterial disease has claimed 23 lives, with 48 laboratory confirmed cases received at Jubilee District Hospital.
Hammanskraal cholera deaths a 'harsh reminder' of continued neglect of infrastructure: AG
Image: Alaister Russell
The recent cholera deaths in Hammanskraal are a harsh reminder of the continued neglect of infrastructure by the government, according to auditor-general Tsakani Maluleke.
“What we witnessed and experienced as South Africans happening in Tshwane and Hammanskraal over the past week and a bit, as tragic as that is, and it should never have happened that people lost their lives, we believe is a reminder of the urgency of us acting on these things.
“It is a harsh reminder of the impact of continued neglect of these things, at local government, but also in the other spheres of government,” she said.
Maluleke was presenting municipal audit outcomes to the standing committee on the auditor-general on Wednesday. Only 38 of the country’s 257 municipalities received clean audits, down from 41 in the last financial year.
She said her office visited 249 local government projects across the country and found that the repercussions of the lack of attention to service delivery was being felt on the ground.
The AG teams visited wastewater treatment plants, water resources, communities around the country and saw the effect of water supply issues on different communities, the brunt of untreated wastewater being discharged into water sources and far too many areas with inadequate sanitation services.
“They have also experienced first-hand the impact on the health of those communities.”
“We are able to link our key messages to reality on the ground and we are hoping this insight helps to inspire a different posture across all spheres of government in terms of dealing with the state of local government,” Maluleke said.
Her office had previously raised concerns about lack of expenditure on maintenance, including the lack of maintenance plans that are credible, problems around the lack of preventive maintenance and highlighted that infrastructure assets were deteriorating.
The AG said the qualification on audit often was in the area of asset management where wastewater treatment plants that were not being maintained, new wastewater treatment plants that should be on the ground but were not and yet money was going through the system.
“The impact of all this is the lived reality of citizens being compromised. You’ve got the environment being compromised severely.”
Maluleke said her office has offered insight to the relevant authorities and has driven a conversation she believes will influence different choices by local, provincial and national governments. But in the meantime, it has also issued material irregularities to those who deal with why assets are not being protected, as this leads to financial loss, and also about water pollution which harms the public and the environment.
Hammanskraal has been in the spotlight after an outbreak of cholera in recent weeks.
The bacterial disease has claimed 23 lives, with 48 laboratory confirmed cases received at Jubilee District Hospital.
TimesLIVE
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